Fact of the day

Information is the most powerful weapon.

Monday

Fact N°
1009

In the 1970s, the discovery of a human-like bipedal chimp had researchers believing he was the missing link.

Sometimes called the "Humanzee," Oliver the chimp walks upright, possesses almost human-like features, enjoys a cigar, and when he walks into a room, his similarities with humans will typically leave them in awe.
For many years, Oliver was under the care of two trainers. However, he never showed any interest in female chimps, and when he reached the age of 16, he started making frequent and aggressive attempts to mount the female trainer. They had no choice but to sell him, and at this point, Oliver became an overnight sensation. Ultimately, tests proved Oliver was in fact a Common Chimpanzee, and not the missing link.
Oliver is still alive today, living in Texas under the care of the Texas Monkey Project.

Tuesday

Fact N°
1010

Sandy Koufax pitched 27 complete games in each of his final two seasons.

Sandy Koufax was arguably the most effective pitcher in baseball history, but his last four seasons stand alone as achievements unseen in the league, before or since.
He won 97 games for the Dodgers and lost just 27; he threw 1192.2 innings, struck out 1228 batters, pitched 31 shutouts and threw a shocking 89 complete games. Compare Koufax's four-year complete game stats against the prior four years of the 2006 Cy Young winners: The NL's Brandon Webb, 8 complete games; the AL's Johan Santana, 6.

Wednesday

Fact N°
1011

Crystal methamphetamine causes more damage to the brain than cocaine, alcohol and heroin.

The crystalline, manufactured form of methamphetamine is not only highly toxic and tremendously addictive, but its use can also cause a remarkable amount of brain damage. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, long-term abuse of the drug creates damage to the user's brain that resembles the damage done by strokes, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease.

Thursday

Fact N°
1012

Contrary to popular wisdom, water does not drain in different directions in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The prevailing notion is that water drains counterclockwise in the North and clockwise in the South. In truth, on the small scale -- in drains, sinks, toilets -- the direction of drainage is dictated by the drain's shape and how the water is poured.
However, on much larger scales or over longer periods of time, the Earth's rotation comes in to play according to the Coriolis Effect, which measures that rotation's gravitational effects on moving objects. Accordingly, events like hurricanes will rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern. Furthermore, it will even affect a tub of water if the water is first allowed to settle for 24 hours.

Friday

Fact N°
1013

Priapism (an erection lasting more than four hours) is considered a medical emergency.

The medical community regards it as a condition requiring immediate treatment because the gathered blood can cause thrombosis (a clot), which can further damage the blood vessels, potentially leading to erectile dysfunction or, worst-case scenario, gangrene and removal of the penis altogether.
The term originates from the minor Greek God Priapus, son of Aphrodite. According to the myth, Priapus tried to rape a goddess, and as punishment, he was endowed with massive -- but wooden, and therefore useless -- genitals.

Saturday

Fact N°
1014

According to legend, the huddle in football began at Gallaudet University.

Gallaudet University was established in Washington, DC, in 1864, and provides a fully-accredited education for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Of the school's many athletics, their NCAA Division III football team is most notable, not just for its recent successes (they went undefeated in 2005), but also for having invented the huddle we see before every snap of the ball in today's football leagues.
Legend says that in 1894, Gallaudet's quarterback, Paul Hubbard, noticed that opposing teams could read his hand signals prior to plays, whether they played other schools for the deaf or not. In response, Hubbard began huddling his team before plays, and a tradition was born.

Sunday

Fact N°
1015

In 1908, U.S. Army Lt. Thomas Selfridge became history's first fatality on a powered aircraft.

Selfridge, age 26 at the time, was actually a rather experienced flight passenger. He'd been one on Alexander Graham Bell's tetrahedral, winged cell kite, Cygnet, for seven minutes in December 1907 (which was also Canada's first recorded heavier-than-air flight bearing a passenger), as well as a passenger on a less successful craft by Canadian engineer Frederick Baldwin.
His luck ran out on September 17, 1908, as he rode with Orville Wright, who was demonstrating their craft to the U.S. Army. The break of a propeller set off a short chain reaction that sent the craft into a nose dive. Orville survived, but Selfridge suffered a fractured skull and died shortly thereafter.